Realism (Contextual Studies)
Following the grand and flamboyant depictions of the Romanticism movement, art took a different and contradictory turn during the mid 19th century. In stark contrast, artists would begin to focus not on the grand, but the benign. The everyday. Still very much focused on the human element, the movement now known as Realism, would take an objective look at the life of the lower classes, depicting the every day struggles of the working classes. Originating in France during the 1840's, Realism would spark outrage with the Monarchs and the social elite.
Realism is very much a response to Romanticism. A protest against the grand and glorified figures and images that were considered to be the pinnacle of fine art. Romanticist images would span the walls of Royal estates and galleries. Realism was a social comment, looking to the struggles of everyday life, looking outside the world of the rich and elite. The images were gritty and real, abandoning the bright and obvious nature of Romanticism.
Gustave Courbet was one of the main driving forces behind Realism. A French artist born in 1819, he rejected the notions of Romanticism, opting to only paint what he could see, what was known to him. He focused on labourers and farm hands for his subjects, often painting them on larger scales. This caused quite a stir at the time, as these large and grand paintings were reserved for paintings of the rich and elite, or for historical paintings. The Stone Breakers pictured above from 1849 is one such example.
After Dinner at Ornans, also from 1849, is another example. Slightly different from The Stone Breakers as it depicts the working class after their work, after their food, enjoying each others company and listening to a peer play music. Unlike with Romanticism, Courbet doesn't highlight the scene, or glorify/exaggerate it in any way. The shadows are dark and overbearing, the dull tones, these aspects leave the image feeling incredibly real. The image isn't designed to shout at you, but rather relate to you. These Realism works were really a homage to the working classes.
Jean-Francois Millet was another artist who played an important part in the Realism movement. His paintings, depicting farm hands, are often the most iconic of the movement. The Gleaners from 1857 is arguably one of the strongest images of Realism. Like Courbet, Millet stays away from vibrant and saturated colours, opting for the dull gritty tones of real life. These Gleaners, picking up stray wheat on the farm, became synonymous with the Realism movement, with many artists emulating and recreating these images and the subjects Millet had used.
Jules Breton was one such artist. Unlike Millet's images, Breton did try to beautify the images he took. He would often try capture his subjects during sunsets or sunrise, to create a particular mood with his images. The Song of the Lark, above, from 1884 shows a female farm hand during sunset, highlighted by orange and red back lighting.
The End of the working day, 1886-1887 is a similar, yet refined painting. The light is less orange, opting for cooler tones. Yet it is a far cry from the dull colours of Millet's work, the subjects are still depicted as working hard and struggling through their daily lives, still focusing on the struggles of the working class. I love the contrast of this image, the bright inspiring colour choice against the tired and strained representation of his subjects.
Ilya Repin, a Russian artist, painted the above in 1870-73. Barge Haulers on the Volga shows men physically struggling to pull a barge to shore, and really shows their struggle and exhaustion. The people shown in the image are all clear and realistic, and the pain and tired feelings are clear on each individual, the clothing, torn and ragged, adding to the imagery. In contrast, the pallet is bright and vibrant, and serves to represent the sun beating down on them. I love this image, especially how different it is to the works of Millet and Courbet.
Realism is very much a response to Romanticism. A protest against the grand and glorified figures and images that were considered to be the pinnacle of fine art. Romanticist images would span the walls of Royal estates and galleries. Realism was a social comment, looking to the struggles of everyday life, looking outside the world of the rich and elite. The images were gritty and real, abandoning the bright and obvious nature of Romanticism.
Gustave Courbet was one of the main driving forces behind Realism. A French artist born in 1819, he rejected the notions of Romanticism, opting to only paint what he could see, what was known to him. He focused on labourers and farm hands for his subjects, often painting them on larger scales. This caused quite a stir at the time, as these large and grand paintings were reserved for paintings of the rich and elite, or for historical paintings. The Stone Breakers pictured above from 1849 is one such example.
After Dinner at Ornans, also from 1849, is another example. Slightly different from The Stone Breakers as it depicts the working class after their work, after their food, enjoying each others company and listening to a peer play music. Unlike with Romanticism, Courbet doesn't highlight the scene, or glorify/exaggerate it in any way. The shadows are dark and overbearing, the dull tones, these aspects leave the image feeling incredibly real. The image isn't designed to shout at you, but rather relate to you. These Realism works were really a homage to the working classes.
Jean-Francois Millet was another artist who played an important part in the Realism movement. His paintings, depicting farm hands, are often the most iconic of the movement. The Gleaners from 1857 is arguably one of the strongest images of Realism. Like Courbet, Millet stays away from vibrant and saturated colours, opting for the dull gritty tones of real life. These Gleaners, picking up stray wheat on the farm, became synonymous with the Realism movement, with many artists emulating and recreating these images and the subjects Millet had used.
Jules Breton was one such artist. Unlike Millet's images, Breton did try to beautify the images he took. He would often try capture his subjects during sunsets or sunrise, to create a particular mood with his images. The Song of the Lark, above, from 1884 shows a female farm hand during sunset, highlighted by orange and red back lighting.
The End of the working day, 1886-1887 is a similar, yet refined painting. The light is less orange, opting for cooler tones. Yet it is a far cry from the dull colours of Millet's work, the subjects are still depicted as working hard and struggling through their daily lives, still focusing on the struggles of the working class. I love the contrast of this image, the bright inspiring colour choice against the tired and strained representation of his subjects.
Ilya Repin, a Russian artist, painted the above in 1870-73. Barge Haulers on the Volga shows men physically struggling to pull a barge to shore, and really shows their struggle and exhaustion. The people shown in the image are all clear and realistic, and the pain and tired feelings are clear on each individual, the clothing, torn and ragged, adding to the imagery. In contrast, the pallet is bright and vibrant, and serves to represent the sun beating down on them. I love this image, especially how different it is to the works of Millet and Courbet.
American artist John Sloan took a different approach. From much later, 1912, McSorely's Bar shows a group of men in a bar, presumably after a days work. The lighting seems to suggest late afternoon, early evening, the clothing of the characters suggesting labour or low level jobs. The overalls on the gentleman on the right, for example. Similar to Gourbet's After Dinner, it shows the people after work. There's a certain humbleness to it, it's not shouting a loud statement at the viewer. It feels very real. I completely understand where the term Realism comes from.
I had assumed Realism was a style of painting, but I've come to believe now it's an approach. A realistic view on the world and a real interruption of that. It's less a comment on the style of paintings, but more the subject and composition of what the artist is trying to show us. Before now, art had always been a loud shouting statement, a luxury for the entitled few. For the first time, on the large scale, art was being made for everyday people. It may have caused an outrage at the time, but from a history perspective, I feel this is really where art was given to the people. It became less of luxury and more a form of expression. I think modern art owes a lot to Realism.
Practical Work
For realism I looked at Honore Daumier's drawings and paintings. His portrayal of people is incredibly detailed and unrestricted, showing people at weak or poor moments. I looked at his painting The Third-Class Carriage and tried to recreate one of the more prominent faces in the crowd.
I noticed that Daumier has clear defined lines and edges in his work, which I found quite peculiar. I tried to recreate this effect with pencils, putting heavy weight on the lines and creases in the fabric. The amount of wrinkles and details he includes on the face are more important than features like the eyes, which in this image are ambiguous. It's a gritty portrayal and is unrestricted. I was quite please with how this turned out, however as a Star Wars fan, I can't help but feel that this looks a little bit too much like the Emperor... It certainly detracts a little from this in my mind, as it taints the image a little.
I also tried to copy a segment of Millet's The Gleaners using digital painting. I tried to keep this as traditional as I could, using only 'Acrylic' settings on my software, and mixing colours as I would if it were a real painting. I noticed that the edges of his shapes are clean and crisp, which was something I tried to emulate here. His shadows almost create a line around some forms. Ultimately, I find to get much detail from paint. Perhaps it's just the scale these paintings are done in.
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